Alice joins us for lunch again. There's no question about it, no moment of uncertainty. She just shows up and sits down in the chair that she's claimed for herself. If it were anyone else, I'd be annoyed that she came without even asking. But it's not anyone else. It's Alice. And it's my favorite thing about her.

Watching her fawn over Angela's photos from Homecoming, I understand. When I first met her the week before, I'd been intimidated by her confidence. I was jealous, even. But if it were me, if I had the ability to see the events of tomorrow, I would be confident too. Alice knew that we were meant to be friends, so why bother with the practicalities?

"Are you alright?"

His quiet whisper does not startle me. By now, I've gotten used to his close proximity. Turning my head to see him, I offer him a smile. "Yes."

Edward's thumb, which had been tracing small circles over my knuckles, moves to tuck a rogue strand of hair behind my ear. His touch keeps the room quiet and I feel the most relaxed I've been in a long time. "What are you thinking?"

"You first?" I chuckle when he scoffs and shakes his head. His bright eyes are filled with amusement though, betraying his act of exasperation.

"You're infuriating," he counters playfully.

"Oh, is that all?"

"Honestly, Bella." Edward moves his hand again, but he's sitting close enough that our arms touch, keeping the silence. "I can't stand it any longer. Tell me what you're thinking."

"Hey," Alice interrupts, "you two! Want to share with the class?"

He winks at me before looking at her. "I'm sorry, Alice. We're finished."

After giving us a stern gaze, she goes back to discussing possible Halloween decorations for the party she wants to throw at their house.

"I was thinking," I whisper to Edward, answering his question, "that I love your sister."

The rest of the school day passes quickly. Edward stays by my side after meeting up with me at lunch. There aren't words for how appreciative I am for him, so I settle for walking beside him and taking his hand when he offers without hesitation.

"Do you need to go home now?" Edward asks when we're both seated in the Volvo.

"I guess not," I say with a shrug. "Why?"

"Would you like to go somewhere?" Shifting the gear, he drives us out of the parking lot. "I have a few ideas."

"Ideas about…?"

"Your abilities," he explains. "Are you feeling up to it?"

"Um, sure." I'm not sure why I feel nervous, but I do my best to push it down. "Where are we going? Will it be just us?"

He glances at me before returning his attention to the road. "I can ask Alice to come as well if that'd make you feel better."

"I'd actually prefer it to be just us," I say. "At least for now."

"Of course." At first, I don't notice a change in his demeanor, but later, I see that his grip on the steering wheel has relaxed. He must've been worrying I wouldn't want to be alone with him. He should know better by now.

"I'm sorry, you want me to...what?"

With a smirk, Edward shakes his head as if I were reacting exactly as he'd suspected I would. "You'll need to trust me, Bella."

"I do trust you," I assure him as I unbuckle the seatbelt. "I'm just not sure this is the appropriate setting. Aren't you supposed to do this in like...I don't know, a temple?"

The sound that erupts from him catches me completely off guard. He's thrown his head back with a bout of guttural laughter. If I weren't so annoyed with him, I'd say he looks beautiful.

"If I'm wrong you can just say so," I growl, crossing my arms defensively. "You don't have to be such a dick about it."

"I'm sorry, Bella, I…" His voice trails off as more uncontrollable giggles escape him. "I'm not laughing at you—"

"If you say you're not laughing at me, you're laughing with me, so help me, I will punch you in the face."

Sobering up, he says, "I wouldn't advise that. You'll hurt yourself."

I roll my eyes in response.

"You know, for someone who doesn't watch television," I can see him fighting a smile and he's failing, "you sure have a lot of Hollywood's idealisms."

I scoff and turn to face him in my seat. "Are you calling me uneducated?"

"No, of course not!" he protests. "Uncultured maybe—"

"Wow, you are so not helping your case!"

Edward takes my hand in his and all of my frustration dissolves when he starts tracing familiar circles into my palm. "Bella, you're right, I apologize. There was a much better way to say that. I'm not at all intending to offend you. I'm only asking that you stay open-minded."

"You want me to meditate. Here? Now? We're in a parking lot!"

"Yes," he acknowledges a bit sarcastically, "I am aware."

"Filled with people," I add. "It's a bit distracting, don't you think?"

"Exactly." Edward beams with excitement, like he'd been waiting for me to mention it. For a moment, he looks just like Alice. "I want to show you that you are capable of closing yourself off to them."

He lets go of my hand just as a small family, a mom and her two young daughters, pass by the front of the car and hold hands as they cross the street to the mall. Their thoughts as well as the rest of the shoppers jumble together in my head and I have to rub my temples to relieve some of the pressure that's forming there.

"I don't know, Edward." I reach for his hand again, but he moves it away, a gesture that tells me he won't be touching me until I at least try to follow his instruction. "Fine, what am I supposed to do? Cross my legs and sing the om mantra?"

Chuckling again, he shakes his head. "Not exactly. Just relax."

"I am relaxed." However my tone is anything but and I know Edward notices this. "I'm as close as you're going to get, so deal with it."

"I am dealing," he counters. "I deal with it every day."

I realize he's not talking about my attitude, he's referring to his mind reading. Should've seen that one coming. "Right, sorry. I just—"

"No need to apologize," he interrupts. "I understand what you're going through. Do you remember your birthday?"

Laughing humorlessly, I nod. "It was my worst one yet. How could I forget?"

"And do you remember when Lauren Mallory upset you? You got angry, and then things started moving, shaking."

"Yeah, I remember." My fingers tap nervously in my lap. "Not my finest moment."

"What did you do to calm yourself?"

Suddenly annoyed with myself, I grumble, "It's stupid."

"No, it's not," he pushes gently. "Tell me."

Another family passes the car and my head throbs. I move to reach for Edward's hand, but he pulls away. "You're really not going to give me a break, are you?"

When he shakes his head, I sigh.

"Fine," I huff. "I tried to think of something that made me happy. Find my happy place, or whatever."

"Good. Try to tap into that again."

Rolling my eyes, I close my eyes and sigh deeply.

Seventy-five percent off on shoes?! Are you kidding? I have been dying to get a new pair of…

Alright, in and out. Just get what you need and go. You know these kids won't last long before…

Fuck! I can't believe I forgot her birthday! She's going to kill me if…

"Relax, Bella."

"It's a little hard when I can feel you staring at me!" I regret snapping at him the moment it's left my lips. "Sorry, I'm working on it."

Relax. Think happy thoughts. Maybe try counting down from ten? Nine...eight...seven…

Seven dollars? That bottle of sanitizer better make my whole house sterile! What a rip off…

I'm distracted by a shopaholic's husband's train of thought and try not to let the pulsing in my temples discourage me. I'm working hard to block him out, block them all out. I don't realize my body tenses until Edward startles me out of my concentration again.

"Stop grinding your teeth." His voice is soft and far from reprimanding, but at that moment, he reminds me of Charlie in the way that he's watching my every move.

I feel my temper rising and choke down the slew of angry profanities that threaten to escape. My headache is turning into a migraine and I end up searching for my headphones, since Edward's already decided he won't help me. I just need something to tune them out. Anything.

"Here." He must take pity on me, because he reaches over the console and stops my hands from rummaging in my bag. The second I feel his cool skin on mine, the voices fade and all I can hear is the quiet idling of his engine and my staggered breathing. "We're done for the day."

"Sorry," I mumble dumbly.

"It's alright." Something about the stiffness in his voice makes me look up. He's tracing his thumb over my knuckles, probably in an attempt to reassure me, but it doesn't take a genius to see something is bothering him.

Scanning the parking lot, I search for whatever could've possibly upset him. When I come up with nothing, I turn back to him as he shifts the gear into drive, all without letting go of my hand.

"Edward, are you okay?"

"Yes." I try not to read too much into how terse he sounds. "Are you?"

Knowing he's not willing to tell me, I lean back in my seat. "I'm fine."

The ride home is only a bit awkward with Edward's sudden change of mood, but the thumping in my temples is grateful for the silence. Luckily, the way Edward speeds, we get back to my house quickly.

Edward parks right in front of the driveway, and my eyes catch Charlie just in time as he ducks behind the curtain in the window. With Edward still holding my hand, I can't hear what's going on in his head, but I can guess.

"It's still early," I say to break the silence. "You don't have to go."

He doesn't speak, but offers me an uneven smile that doesn't reach his eyes.

"Unless you want to," I add, hating the disappointment in my voice. "You're not mad at me, are you?"

"Why would I be angry with you?" It's the first time in nearly half an hour since he's spoken. I want to be annoyed with him for not talking, but instead, I just feel sad. Guilty even, for not knowing what to do that could comfort him.

"I don't know, but you're very quiet. Will you come inside? We can talk about it. Whatever's bothering you, I mean."

"You and I both know he would never allow it," he responds. I think I hear the tiniest bit of amusement in his tone, but when I look for it in his face, it's gone.

"Yeah." It comes out more of a sigh than anything. "You're right."

I step out of the Volvo and shoulder my bag tiredly. Separated from Edward, I can hear Charlie grumbling in the kitchen. He's afraid I'm going to invite Edward to dinner and he'll have to pretend to be civil.

"Hi, Dad," I call when I open the door.

Charlie peeks his head out and acts surprised to see me. "Oh, hey, Bells! I was just starting din—"

"You don't have to lie," I interrupt him and offer a small smile to show I'm not upset. "I saw you in the window. Don't worry, he's not staying."

He places his hands on his hips and I notice his left thumb plays with his belt loop restlessly. "Now, Bells, it's not that I don't want him here, but are you...dating?"

Dropping my heavy bag to the floor, I rub my eyes and throw myself onto the couch. My head pounds at the impending conversation. "Ugh! Seriously?"

I hear Charlie's boots thumping on the hardwood floor as he walks from the kitchen into the living room. I feel rather than see his weight dip into the cushion next to mine.

"I'm going to be honest with you here, okay?" Bringing my hands away from my face, I see Charlie reach out to touch me but thinks against it and ends up resting his hand in his lap. "I'm not ready for boys. Not at all."

"Dad."

"But." He shifts uncomfortably in his seat. "Let me finish, Bella, there's a but."

Rolling my eyes, I already know what he plans on asking next. There's no stopping him, so I motion for him to continue. "But…"

"You're almost an adult now and…" He grunts quietly and scratches at the back of his head. "Just tell me, okay, I won't judge. Are you using protection?"

Even with the heads up, it still makes me cringe when he asks. "Dear, God, that escalated quickly."

"I know, I don't like talking about this either, but—"

"Do we have to?" I whine pathetically. "Mom already gave me the talk when I was nine."

"Bells, that was eight years ago!" He nearly shouts.

"Trust me, I remember. Can we just skip over this if I promise not to have sex until you die?"

"You know what?" Charlie stands from the couch and I relax when I hear him laughing. "I'm holding you to that. C'mon, I'm making fish fry."

"Billy send you home with some?" I ask, even though I already know the answer.

"How do you know I didn't make it myself?" He says, feigning hurt in his voice.

Lifting a brow, I stand up. "Please, after those cinnamon buns? I think we've both learned our lesson."

"Yeah, I'm never living that down, am I?" When I shake my head, he says, "That's alright. Maybe I can't cook, but I can fish. Pretty good at it too."

"See?" I grab my bag and head for the stairs. "You're not totally useless."

"Aren't you eating?"

"I'm just taking this to my room," I call as I ascend. "Be right down."

I stop for some ibuprofen in the bathroom before throwing my stuff on the bed. If I've got to deal with my father giving me the sex talk all throughout dinner, I'm not going to do it with a headache. I regret not telling Edward to park away from Charlie's line of sight.

To my surprise, I see him still sitting out there in the car just in front of the driveway. Thinking that he'd changed his mind about wanting to talk, I open the window, hoping he'll understand the gesture.

For ten long seconds, I wait for him to make a decision. I feel the anticipation in my throat, and I'm standing on the balls of my feet, expecting him to get out of the car.

I'm certain he's going to sneak in when I see him drive away. Disappointment forms a pit in my belly and I can't help but sigh. Maybe he'll be out of his funk by tomorrow.

I make my way back to the kitchen and sit with Charlie. To my relief, he doesn't mention boys or sex at all. He keeps me occupied with stories of his time with Billy. He's missed fishing and I'm happy that I was able to get him to do it again.

Once we finish, I excuse myself to my room. I'm planning on reading until I'm ready to sleep, but get the shock of a lifetime when I walk in and see a dark figure sitting in my rocking chair.

My door slams shut, and honestly I'm not sure if I physically closed it myself or if he scared me so bad, I slammed it with my gift. Regardless, I stood there with my hand on my chest, desperately trying to catch my breath without making too much sound.

"You scared the hell out of me!" I whisper-yelled.

Edward turns on the lamp that sits on the nightstand, flooding the room with a soft yellow light. "I'm sorry. I thought you were expecting me."

"I saw you drive off." Sitting on the corner of my bed, I curl my legs underneath me. "I thought you didn't want to come in."

The softest of smiles pulls at his mouth. "I needed to take the car home. We wouldn't want Charlie suspicious, would we?"

"So you walked here?" I'm just now noticing the small water droplets in his hair. It must've rained while we were eating.

"I ran, actually."

"Right." I tap lightly on the spot next to me on the bed. "Come sit. Talk to me."

Swiftly and silently, he stands from the chair and sits on the other corner of the bed. Impressive, considering that the rocking chair doesn't move without creaking. I can probably chalk that up to him being a century-old vampire.

"How are you feeling?" he asks, his smile fading and a much more serious expression falling on his face.

"I'm fine," I say quickly. "What about you? Tell me what's bothering you so much."

He exhales and his cool breath tickles my hand that lies lazily between us. "I hated seeing you in so much pain. It reminded me of just how incredibly fragile you are."

"It's nothing to worry about, Edward," I try to assure him.

"Except, it is." His tone hardens and my brows furrow at the intensity. "It is something to worry about. One wrong move, one ounce of control lost and—"

"Stop it. You sound like Charlie."

"Charlie worries about you," he defends. "So do I."

"He does more than worry," I remind him. "He suffocates. The fact of the matter is, I'm a big girl now. I can take care of myself, and that includes knowing when I'm not okay. Right now, I'm telling you that I am fine."

My tension headache seems to spread down to my shoulders and I try to stretch out my neck.

"What's wrong?" I'm happy when I hear his tone has lost its severity and instead has taken more of an inquisitive pitch.

"I'm just a bit stiff is all."

Edward gently turns my back to him and I feel cold fingers gently squeezing the muscles beneath my shoulders. "Is this alright?"

I wait for him to apply more pressure, but he never does. He keeps his gentle motions, purposefully moving slowly. I try not to laugh. "Um, yeah."

"What? What is it?"

I can't help myself any longer and fall into a fit of giggles. "For a vampire, you give puny massages."

"That's not funny, Bella."

I roll my eyes at him playfully. "It's a little funny. You can dig a bit deeper."

Edward applies more pressure and I nod when he finds a decent rhythm. "Better?"

I nod, unable to do anything else but moan obnoxiously. I let my eyes close to enjoy the massage and the silence. My body feels the loosest it's ever been and I ask myself if this is what meditation is supposed to feel like. Quiet. Calming.

Edward's working at a particularly tough knot when I let out a groan. His hands freeze and I feel his body tense up behind me. "Did I hurt you?"

"No," I answer immediately. "Not really. It's a good kind of hurt."

"A good kind?"

Chuckling, I turn back to face him. "It's hard to explain. It felt nice though, thank you."

"You're welcome." His eyes are on mine and I notice that the golden color of his irises are almost an exact match to the hue of my curtains in this light. Who knew seeing him in here would be so visually appealing.

"You're staring," I state quietly.

He smiles crookedly and I'm happy to see his dejected mood has changed. "I'd like to try something." His voice is so soft, I hardly hear it.

"What's that?" I ask curiously.

"I'll need you to stay very still." His eyes shift away from mine for a fraction of a second. It's too quick for me to see what he was looking at. "Could you do that?"

I wish I could hear his thoughts. My heart is suddenly thumping in my throat and I hope that I'm wrong and right at the same time about what's coming next.

Realizing too late he's waiting for me to respond, I nod stupidly.

At first, I don't notice him moving. But with every heartbeat, he comes closer. He's leaning in and I try not to breathe, not wanting to hear its shakiness.

His hand rests under my chin, his thumb tracing my cheekbone smoothly. I shiver at the feel of his icy skin on mine and feel goosebumps running down my arms and back.

I'm stuck between squeezing my eyes shut and not blinking. One in fear of embarrassing myself and the other in fear of missing one single second. I know he hears my heart pounding. I can hear it pounding. It's the only thing I hear. It sounds like a windstorm whooshing past my ears.

Our noses touch. My heart is still too loud to hear anything else, but he's close enough that I can read his lips when he speaks.

"Don't move."

Then his lips are on mine and I freeze entirely. What do I do? I'd only ever kissed one boy before and that was in second grade. That one had been on a dare and it had been less than a second. With Edward, I've already counted three.

Fuck it.

Lightly, I push myself closer and inhale his lilac scent. I feel his lips part and he pulls gently at my hair. Taking this as a good sign, I let my hands wrap around the nape of his neck and pull him down to me. I want to feel more of his calming silence. More Edward.

Before I can truly take in the moment, his body is gone and I fall forward, catching myself on the bedpost.

Edward is back to sitting in the rocking chair and I see his chest moving up and down as if he were trying to catch his breath.

"Was that...okay?" I sound so stupid, I can't help but roll my eyes at myself.

"Yes." He exhales slowly. "I've never done that before."

"I find that hard to believe."

He smirks and leans his elbows on his knees. "With you it's like I'm doing everything for the first time again. I'll need to be very careful."

"Since I'm so breakable." I don't mean to sound so bitterly sarcastic, but it's there. Loud and clear.

"Yes," Edward emphasizes. "You are." He leans back and rocks gently in the chair. He must be pondering something heavily, as his eyes hover over a blank space in the room. "I shouldn't be here."

"No, you shouldn't," I agree and climb under the comforter. "But, will you stay?"

Standing from the chair, he sits back on the bed next to me. "Yes."